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Jaguar to end X-type car production in Liverpool



A major jobs blow has been dealt to the Liverpool City Region with a decision to end production of the Jaguar X-Type model in the region.

The last luxury X-Type car will roll of the production line at the Hale wood factory before the end of 2009 with the loss of up to 300 jobs.

The move by the Indian-owned motor is expected to threaten the loss of more than 500 other jobs in the region at firms that supply parts and services for X-Type.

Manufacture of Land-Rover Freelander models will continue at the Halewood site which has a history dating back to the 1960s when it was established by Ford Motors.

Jaguar Land Rover - owned by the Tata Group - said it would be seeking voluntary redundancies at Halewood.

The plant will close for three weeks as part of an extended shut-down starting in September because of "ongoing weaknesses" in the industry.

Jaguar Land Rover Chief Executive David Smith said: "Our industry has been especially badly hit by the recession and the premium sector more than others."

He went on: "Jaguar Land Rover's retail sales fell by 28 in the past 10 months. We have taken unprecedented actions to cut costs including reduced production volumes, significant cuts to investment plans and some 2,200 job losses.

"Ceasing production of the X-Type early, with further redundancies and temporary shut-downs at Halewood is necessary to protect our other investment plans."

Mr Smith added that further actions will be determined by the state of the market.

The Halewood site provides direct employment for more than 2,000 with more than twice that number working in ancillary plants.


CLICK LIVERPOOL

'Ongoing weaknesses' for cheap labour overseas? That'll be it then.